How People In Other Countries Spot American Tourists

February 11, 2020, 6:15 pm

American Tourists

If you are traveling to another country, you may not realize it, but you may stick out like a sore thumb. Unless you have entirely amerced yourself in the culture, it is very likely that people are going to know that you are a tourist. This is how people in other countries spot American tourists.

Grown Man Wearing Shorts

If you are in another country and you are wearing shorts, there is a good chance that people will know you are a tourist. While Americans love to wear shorts, people in other countries such as India stop wearing shorts when they are children. You won’t get into any trouble, but you will stand out and look a bit odd.

Asking For Ice In Your Drinks

In many parts of the world, people don’t put ice in their drinks. If you ask for a drink with ice, people will know that you are a tourist. If you are traveling abroad, you might want to avoid asking for ice for another reason. The local water may be filthy and unfiltered. It is best to order your drink without requesting ice.

Wearing Baseball Caps

Baseball is the American pastime, and many Americans wear hats. Baseball caps aren’t popular for people in many parts of the world. If you walk around in a baseball hat, you will immediately be marked as an American.

Wearing Socks

If you are traveling around Europe or the UK, and you are wearing white socks, people will know that you are an American. People in these areas wear darker socks so that white socks would be a dead giveaway.

Perfect Teeth

Americans care a great deal about their teeth, and braces and teeth-whitening are very popular. Because these things are less common in other countries, your perfect teeth will give you away as being an American.

Walking While Eating

Americans are always on the run and often walk while eating. In other countries, people sit down and focus on nothing but their meal. If you are walking around in a foreign country and you are eating, you are going to be marked immediately as an American.

You Don’t Use the Metric System

If you are traveling and you don’t understand the metric system, people will know that you are American. If you want to blend in, you are going to need to learn to use Celsius, and you will need to learn what a meter is.

Not Caring About Soccer aka Football

Soccer, aka football, is popular all over the world. America is one country that doesn’t care too much about “football.” Americans enjoy real football. If you are out and soccer is on TV, people are going to know you are a tourist.

Talking To Strangers

People in other countries often stay to themselves. If you are walking around in a foreign city and you talk to a stranger, it won’t be your American accent that gives you away; it will be the fact that you were talking to a stranger. American friendliness isn’t something that is shared around the world.

Oversharing

Americans are known to overshare our feelings. We tell our bartender how we are feeling, or we let a total stranger know that we are in the middle of a divorce. If you are in a foreign country and you start oversharing, you are going to be pegged as an American.

Applauding

Americans are famous for applauding. We clap after a performance, we clap at the end of a movie, and we clap when she sees something that makes us happy. People don’t applaud for any reason they can think of. There are certain situations where applauding is acceptable in other countries. Your applause will be a dead giveaway that you are an American.

Tipping

In America, it is considered rude if you don’t tip your server. Most restaurants pay their employees $3 an hour, and the servers rely on their tips to pay their bills. In other parts of the world, restaurants pay their employees, and tipping isn’t customary. If you tip a server in Europe, they won’t even know what the money is for.

Fanny Packs

People don’t wear fanny packs in the United States, but when Americans travel, they bring a fanny pack. Most people do this to keep their belongings close while sightseeing. If you do go sightseeing while wearing a fanny pack, people will know you are an American.

Your Accent

There are plenty of different accents in the U.S., and each of them will stick out if you are traveling in a foreign country. Whether you are from Boston, New York, or the South, people will know as soon as you speak that you call the United States home.

Loudness

Most Americans aren’t good at using their inside voice. If you are traveling and you are speaking loudly, if your accent doesn’t give you away, your volume will.

Not Knowing the Customs

If you don’t know the customs in a foreign country, people are going to know immediately that you are a tourist. If you want to fit in, make sure that you do your research on the place you are traveling so that you know the customs ahead of time.

Talking To Other Americans

When Americans run into each other in a foreign country, they will act like they are long lost friends, even though they are strangers. If you meet a fellow American and start talking about the state you are from and national monuments you have visited, people are going to know that you are a tourist.

Using American Slang

If you walk around a foreign country using American slang, people are going to know right away that you are a tourist. If you want to fit in, don’t use words like “bro” and “sup.” If you know the slang where you are visiting, use those words. If not, just speak normally. This is the best way to fit in.

Ordering Your Coffee “To Go”

Americans are always on the go, rushing somewhere. If you are traveling to Europe, you should know that they take their coffee culture seriously. If you don’t want to be picked out as a tourist, make sure to sit down and sip your coffee. If you take your time, you will fit right in.

Pulling Out Your Hand Sanitizer In Public

Americans aren’t cleaner than people from other countries, but we are more preoccupied with germs than people in other parts of the world. If you are sightseeing and you pull out a bottle of Purell, people are going to spot you as a tourist from a mile away.

Wearing American Brands

If you wear American brands such as North Face, people are going to know that you are American. While some people from other countries wear American brand clothing, people are still going to wonder.

Wearing Graphic Tees

If you walk around a foreign country wearing a graphic tee, you might as well wear one that says, “I’m an American.” People from other countries rarely wear graphic tees, so it will be a dead giveaway.

Being Overly Positive

Americans tend to be overly positive. This doesn’t mean that people in other countries aren’t positive; it only means that these people don’t show their optimism openly. People in other countries tend to be more pessimistic, and they don’t try to hide it.

Talking About How Great America Is

There is nothing wrong with people proud of your home country, but if you don’t want to be pegged as a tourist, keep your love for the U.S.A. to yourself. Also, leave your U.S.A. t-shirts at home if you don’t want people to know you’re a tourist.

Leaving Your Hotel Room a Mess

Hotels have a cleaning staff to clean the room, but this doesn’t mean that you should leave the room looking like a war zone. If you don’t want people to realize that you’re a tourist, clean up your room. This is one of the hallmarks of American tourists.

Traveling With Too Much Luggage

If you don’t want to be pegged as a tourist, don’t overpack. Americans aren’t known for traveling lightly, so if you don’t want to be mistaken for a tourist, pack only what you will need. If you are carrying suitcases, backpacks, and several carry-ons, people are going to know that you are traveling from America.

Being Glued To Your Phone

People all over the world have cell phones, but they aren’t glued to them the way Americans are. If you are traveling and you don’t want to be pegged as a tourist, put your phone away. Another great reason to put your phone down is so that you can enjoy your trip to the fullest, without your phone being a distraction.
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30 Taking Too Many Selfies

People all over the world like to take photos of themselves out and about. Americans, however, tend to take selfies for any reason possible. You are out at a meal; you take a selfie for your food. You see a pretty shrub; you take a selfie in front of it. Taking constant selfies is the best way to let people know that you are a tourist.
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